Test: Renault Austral – Does Renault now score with an SUV?

Another new SUV…?

Well, that’s what consumers want. Nowadays almost every brand has a mid-sized SUV in its range, so it is important for manufacturers to keep innovating – and to differentiate, however difficult that is. Renault normally succeeds in the latter, but with the Kadjar introduced in 2015 it went quite wrong. To put it bluntly, it was a Nissan Qashqai with a different nose, a great car but not distinctive enough to mislead the average Francophile. In seven years, only a sloppy 13,500 copies were put on Dutch license plates, more than half less than the number of Qashqai’s that left the showroom in the same period. Models such as the Peugeot 3008 and the Mazda CX-5 also scored significantly better. Not to mention the current Hyundai Tucson. In short: as a brand-new successor to the Kadjar, the new Renault Austral has an important assignment. Despite its large dimensions, the Austral has an elegant appearance. The so-called ‘Nouvelle Vague’ design provides a modern look and the extra Esprit Alpine package (including 20-inch wheels and dark window frame) plus the two-tone color scheme of the test car add cool accents.

Is the Renault Austral sufficiently distinctive?

The Renault Austral again shares its platform with the Nissan Qashqai, but this time the similarities pretty much end there. The wheelbase of both cars is the same, Renault has added some centimeters at both the front and the rear. Both the coach and the interior of the Renault are of their own design, just like the hybrid powertrain. Under the heading ‘e-Power’, Nissan opts for a series hybrid powertrain, in which the fuel engine is not directly connected to the wheels, but serves purely to generate electricity.

Renault’s Hybrid is fundamentally different from Nissan’s.

What does that mean for the Austral?

The Renault Austral E-Tech Hybrid 200, the engine variant in this test, has a more common parallel hybrid powertrain. The electric motor and the combustion engine can drive the front wheels individually or together. It is a variant that we know from, among other things, the Clio, but it has been considerably revised for use in the Austral. The base is a 1.2 three-cylinder with turbo. This is coupled to two electric motors, a small one that serves as a starter generator and a large one that contributes to the propulsion. The whole is equipped with two transmissions, a four-speed for the petrol engine and a two-speed for the electric motor. Quite a complex powertrain.

Difficulty usually does not guarantee smooth performance…

With 200 hp and 205 Nm you always have plenty of power available in the Austral. Despite its complexity, the powertrain picks up convincingly and transitions between petrol and electric plus gear changes are generally smooth. Only if you give it a lot of gas do you notice that the system sometimes has to think for a while, which can cause an annoying delay. In any case, Renault has succeeded in reducing consumption: although we did not get further than 1 to 16.1 due to the cold weather during the test period, that is still a lot more economical than many competitors will ever achieve.

As soon as you drive, the computer continuously controls which part of the drive does what, beyond the selected driving mode (Eco, Comfort or Sport) and the position of your right foot, you have no influence on this. Driving away is almost always on the electric motor, and once on the road, the Austral switches remarkably often and often to electric power. On a varied test round of 115 kilometers, we drive no less than 45 kilometers electrically, the on-board computer tells us. Of course, this requires the petrol engine to work extra hard to recharge the battery, sometimes even disconnected from the front wheels. In addition to this engine, the Austral is also offered as a simpler Mild Hybrid with 130 hp.

What about space on board the Austral?

That’s where the shoe pinches: with its interior space, the Austral does not set new standards. You sit well in the front, but you are tighter in the back seat than in, for example, the Hyundai Tucson. While you can still move the rear seat over a distance of 16 centimeters. In addition, the seat of the rear seat is on the short side and placed low, which does not benefit the seating comfort during a long journey.

You are not really comfortable in the back of the Austral.

The sliding rear seat seems to be mainly intended to create extra luggage space, nevertheless the loading volume of 487 liters is no more than mediocre. When you fold down the two parts of the backrest, a cargo hold of 1,525 liters is created. Enough for a return trip to the construction market, but again the Austral does not lag behind the competition in this area. The Austral E-Tech Hybrid 200 is allowed to tow a trailer with a weight of 1,500 kilos.

Phew, that dashboard looks very futuristic …

The digitized Austral cockpit is in line with the new electric Megane E-Tech. That means a huge upgrade compared to the Kadjar. The instrument panel consists of two 12-inch screens that apparently overlap. In addition, the display can be personalized to a great extent. The multimedia system is controlled by Android Automotive, and that simply works well. The menu structure is very clear, as are the clear, large graphics. The voice control works well and the Google navigation is unsurpassed. At the bottom of the central display we find a row of physical buttons for the air conditioning. These are conveniently placed on a horizontal platform. Nothing French style, this is all well thought out. Although: with the paddles behind the wheel you set the degree of regeneration. You would expect that ‘plus’ means more delay, but the opposite is true. But once you know that, it’s no longer a problem.

A lot of pressure behind the wheel.

Looks like you have little to complain about behind the wheel of the Austral…

Partly thanks to the Alpine package, the finish is beautiful, with generous use of Alcantara. Behind the wheel of the Austral you will find a great seating position and the seats offer un-French a lot of support. It is a pity that the backrest is not infinitely adjustable; for electric seat adjustment (including heating) you have to pay €900 extra.

A nice design element is the sliding lid on the center tunnel, which gives you access to various storage compartments. The handle can also be used as a support for your wrist when you operate the multimedia screen, and on top of the platform you can charge your phone wirelessly. This construction (and the extra storage space underneath) is possible because the transmission control lever is located on the right side of the steering column. It is very close to the wiper controls; even at the end of the test period, we regularly reach for the wrong stem. Anyway, once in D you don’t have to worry about it anymore.

Just drive! Is French comfort reigning supreme or is Alpine’s sporty spirit out of the bottle?

Our test car is equipped with 4Control Advanced. In other words: four-wheel steering. This turns the rear wheels at lower speeds up to 5 degrees in the opposite direction of the front wheels. Partly because of this, the Austral turns into the corner quite enthusiastically. This, incidentally, without sacrificing comfort, because the chassis and steering form a nicely balanced whole. The Renault is very stable in the corner and communicates more than sufficiently with its driver. Proverbially French comfort, mixed with a pinch of sporty driving pleasure.

Looks futuristic, but works fine.

In which versions is the Austral E-Tech Hybrid 200 for sale?

You can choose from two trim levels: the Techno and the Iconic. Under the name ‘Esprit Alpine’ you can supplement both versions with a package of sporty accessories. Prices start just under $45,000. Quite a lot of money, but for that you also get a richly equipped car. Things like the multimedia system with 12-inch screen, adaptive LED headlights, 19-inch wheels, the sliding rear seat are all included in the price. If you opt for the Esprit Alpine package, Renault will add 20-inch wheels, a different front bumper, partial Alcantara upholstery and some sporty elements.

The Iconic version stands for just under €47,500 in the price list. It has, among other things, adaptive cruise control, an electrically operated tailgate, electrically adjustable seats with heating and massage function and heated steering wheel. The standard safety package – including collision warning with cyclist and pedestrian recognition, distance control, drowsiness detection, lane departure warning and traffic sign recognition – is supplemented with blind spot warning, a 360-degree camera, speed warning and automatic braking function when reversing the risk of a collision arises.

Incidentally, there is also another motorization: the Mild Hybrid 130. It is available in Techno version and the even cheaper Equilibre.

Disadvantage of the Hybrid: the 12 Volt battery eats up luggage space.

The choice of AutoWeek Test coordinator Marco Gorter

Saving money by going for the mild-hybrid version is a bad idea in this case. Experience shows that the powertrain is much less pleasant than the Hybrid and also consumes more. The savings therefore undo themselves in the long run. So always go for the Full Hybrid. Given the choice of various options and packages, the cheaper Techno is the better choice. You can invest the money you save in options that have the most value for you.